After Blasting Icardi in the Head, Tang Long Faced the First Penalty Shootout of His Career!

"They're shouting 'Tang!!!' inside."

"Haha, I knew it would be him!"

"Hurry up and run inside, or you won't be able to see the SportMediaset replay!"

"Oh dear, wait for me! My seat is so far away, I'm so anxious!"

Guardiola smiled with satisfaction.

Although he didn't see it clearly either, Tang Long scored in the end, and he finally saw it clearly!

He confidently ruffled his bald head, looking smugly at Pellegrini in the Manchester United area, his eyes seeming to say, "So, how about it? Am I a little better at using Tang Long than you are?"

Pellegrini looked utterly bewildered.

He's old, and his nearsightedness combined with presbyopia means he can't see clearly up close or from a distance!

Anyway, I just don't understand. Tang Long was surrounded by three people, so how did he suddenly seem to have crawled out of the ground and rushed to De Gea's side?

The three Manchester United defenders, Valencia, Smalling, and Fellaini, were utterly bewildered, their heads bumping together.

All three are top-tier Premier League professional players with extensive experience.

They were absolutely certain that the three of them had firmly surrounded Tang Long at the last moment—how could he have escaped at the last second?

The key question is how he ran. All the gaps were locked. If Tang Long tried to force his way through, he would definitely collide with one of the Manchester United players.

But none of the three of them felt they had any physical contact with Tang Long;

The only contact was when the three of them bumped heads together, and they were still seeing stars from the pain!

Not to mention Manchester United, even Tang Long's teammates at Manchester City didn't understand.

Agüero only clearly saw Tang Long's final chip shot against De Gea, a beautiful move, but he only vaguely saw Tang Long's sudden escape from being surrounded by three opponents.

"Wow, Tang!" Agüero quickly moved closer to Tang Long, both surprised and curious. "Tell me, how did you break through the encirclement of those three?"

Tang Long smiled and pointed to the huge display screen high above Wembley Stadium.

The replay has begun...

Everyone looked up, and after watching the replay, they were all stunned, feeling utterly incredulous!

"This, this, this is too fast! How is this possible!"

"If I hadn't seen the SportMediaset replay, I would never have imagined he could do something like that!"

"How can the football be so obedient to him in such a confined space?"

"Too strong... sigh!"

It turned out that while Valencia, Smalling, and Fellaini were rapidly closing in on their prey like hungry wolves, Tang Long had already made his plans.

Seeing the gap in front of him shrink rapidly, he first pretended to shift his weight to the right, lower his shoulders, and wave his hand, as if he wanted to force his way through the narrow gap between Smalling and Valencia.

This caused the two to instinctively block off the left side even more tightly, and their center of gravity shifted to the left as well.

A mere sway of the body is not enough to confuse the opponent;

Tang Long used both his hands and feet, and simultaneously flicked the ball to the right!

At the same time, Tang Long was secretly gathering power as he flicked his right foot out. Taking advantage of the moment when his opponent's attention was drawn to his feint, he used the inside of his right foot to forcefully cut the ball back!

The power and angle of that spike were exquisite; the ball grazed the inside of Fellaini's left foot and just barely missed, striking him in the groin!

Fellaini was trying to block Tang Long's breakthrough route to his left, and his body had already sprinted forward;

He predicted that Tang Long would soon be sandwiched in the middle, and he couldn't even feel the wind rushing past Tang Long after he nutmegged him!

The moment the ball was intercepted, Tang Long made a nimble turn and flashed through the gap, his speed so fast that his opponent had no time to react. He broke through the seemingly impenetrable "closing the door and beating the dog" tactic of three Manchester United players, faced the onrushing goalkeeper De Gea, and then completed the chip shot.

Manchester United's defense tried to trap Fellaini, Valencia, and Smalling, but instead of striking the dog, they ended up hitting each other on the head – all three were in considerable pain.

After Pellegrini saw it clearly on the big screen, he could only be secretly shocked and speechless with bitterness.

"Tang's handling of that ball was absolutely perfect. A crossover Flip Flap, he chose the most reasonable way to get past three defenders! But the situation was so critical at the time, how could he have thought of it and done it in such a split second?"

Pellegrini looked at Tang Long, who was calmly chatting and laughing with Agüero on the field, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Don is much better than when I was managing Manchester City last season!

What exactly happened to him during this summer training?

Throughout the entire match, there was only one player on both teams who saw things most clearly: Manchester United's Bony.

Thanks to his position on the side of the road, directly facing the direction Tang Long was passing, and the fact that Bony's family was poor when he was young, with no schooling, no television, and no cell phone to play with, his eyesight was excellent, reaching 5.2, allowing him to see the entire process of Tang Long passing.

He couldn't help but gasp!

He knew that Tang Long was very good at dribbling, whether it was the variation in his foot speed, the way he dribbled past opponents, or his prediction of the situation, he was top-notch in the football world.

Last season, Bony also observed Tang Long's dribbling skills many times and learned a lot from it!

It was Tang Long's move just now that allowed him to escape from a tight spot surrounded by three Manchester United players from three directions using a "Flip Flap" nutmeg – a move Bony had never seen Tang Long use last season.

Bony felt a pang of regret...

Such impressive moves, why didn't you learn from Tang Long last season?

But then he thought, even if Tang Long taught him step by step, could he really learn the skills he was doing? Impossible.

Thinking of this, Bony couldn't help but feel a moment of disorientation again.

There's no chance anymore. I'm no longer Tang Long's teammate; I'm his opponent, his arch-rival from the same city. He can't possibly teach me anything more.

Strangely enough, perhaps it's because both teams have undergone significant roster changes and are still in the process of gelling together;

Although both sides launched good attacks in the subsequent match, the score remained unchanged, with 1-0 held until the final whistle.

After a stunning dribble at the start of the game, getting past Icardi, Ranocchia subsequently made several mistakes in his dribbling and passing.

However, Guardiola still gave Ranocchia a lot of encouragement, including a hug, as he was playing in midfield for the first time in his professional career.

"Keep going, Andre, I believe in you!"

However, the situation was far less harmonious inside Manchester United's dressing room.

After sitting on the bench for 45 minutes, Ibrahimovic publicly criticized Icardi in the locker room in front of everyone.

"Rooney told you to press Ranocchia, not to steal the ball from him. Just hold your position! Ranocchia is a key player for the Italy National Team. Do you think he's stupid enough to let you steal the ball so easily? On the contrary, you were easily beaten, lost your position, and let him advance. This goal is entirely your fault!"

Icardi was naturally quite indignant.

Especially since Ibrahimovic said those words to him!

"Zlatan, open your eyes and see clearly! It was Tang who miraculously dribbled past three defenders and shot, causing us to concede the goal. If you want to complain, complain about the defenders. How can you blame me for missing the chance to steal the Ranocchia? I advise you not to go looking for trouble!"

Surprisingly, Ibrahimovic wasn't angry at Icardi's defiance; instead, he just smiled.

"To be honest, Mauro, you're really making a fuss over nothing. What do you mean by 'extraordinarily talented'?"

"More than 20 years ago, when I was playing for Ajax in the Eredivisie, I dribbled three times in front of the penalty area, not only confusing my opponents but also messing up the camera movement. Don't you know that? It's nothing special. If I were Tang's age, I could have done even better!"

Head coach Pellegrini stopped the argument between the two.

In fact, the Chilean Engineer also felt that Icardi didn't play well in the first half!

The key issue wasn't his failed tackle on Ranocchia; he's a striker, after all, it's not surprising that he got beaten by the opponent's midfielder, it's quite normal.

The key issue is something Pellegrini clearly noticed during summer training: Icardi's technical characteristics are simply too one-dimensional.

He relies heavily on the midfielders to feed him the ball, especially De Bruyne, who always wants to stay in the penalty area and comfortably enjoy easy wins.

However, Manchester City's defense was very aggressive and pressing, and they maintained good spacing across all three lines.

No matter how broad De Bruyne's vision or how exquisite his footwork, he's like a skilled cook without ingredients when facing Icardi, who only knows how to stay in the penalty area.

Pellegrini believes that to turn the tide against Manchester City in the second half, they must bring on a striker who can pull out of the penalty area, just like Agüero did for Manchester City in the first half.

So at halftime, he decisively substituted Ibrahimovic for Icardi.

He also specifically instructed Pogba to make more runs and cuts around Ibrahimovic, especially after Ibrahimovic receives the ball in midfield.

This substitution had an immediate effect.

After Ibrahimovic came on, although his range of movement was far less than that of Manchester City's Agüero due to his age of 35;

However, his strength lies in his ability to play both forward and midfield, frequently pulling himself out of the penalty area to receive the ball.

This is tough on Manchester City's young center-back Stones, who is positioned opposite him!

Stones is 1.88 meters tall, which is not short for Premier League center-back, but he is still half a head shorter than Ibrahimovic, who is 1.95 meters tall.

Moreover, Ibrahimovic is quite heavy and has agile footwork.

At such a young age, Stones had never encountered such a formidable center forward in England's football scene, and was frequently bullied by Ibrahimovic, suffering greatly.

58th minute of the second half.

Ibrahimovic pulled back to the edge of the penalty area again, dragging Stones out of the box;

Pogba passed the ball to him and immediately made a high-speed run.

Ibrahimovic didn't rush after getting the ball. His massive frame was like a mountain as he leaned against Stones with his back to him, and Stones just couldn't get the ball!

After Pogba had run a certain distance, Ibrahimovic gently flicked the outside of his foot, successfully aligning his running path with Pogba's.

Pogba rushed forward and unleashed a powerful shot!

The football drew a sharp arc, heading straight for the top corner of the goal.

Making late runs into the box and shooting is one of the France star's strengths, and it has repeatedly become a key weapon for Juventus in scoring goals.

The ball was powerful and heavy, and Manchester City goalkeeper Bravo fumbled it!

By a twist of fate, the ball rolled precisely to Bony's feet, and the Ivory Coast gently pushed it with the instep, happily accepting the gift.

Bony showed some loyalty; despite scoring the equalizer against his former team, he didn't celebrate much, simply smiling and nodding at his teammates who were running towards him.

His sportsmanship even drew applause from a small group of Manchester City fans.

After all, Bony scored quite a few goals for Manchester City last season. He was diligent and hardworking, and he was fully worthy of the salary Manchester City paid him.

Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, spread his arms wide in a domineering manner, facing the Manchester United bench, and muttered to himself:

"See that? Little Mauro, a striker should play like me, a complete player!"

Icardi saw Ibrahimovic's smug look from afar and felt extremely displeased.

You're 35 years old, what are you so smug about?

I admit you're skilled with your feet and more versatile than me when it comes to getting out of the penalty area, but you're getting on in years, and your stamina can't keep you playing the whole game!

Trying to take my starting position? Absolutely not.

Besides, those 38 league goals you scored were in Ligue 1. What kind of league is Ligue 1 anyway?

Paris Saint-Germain is the only dominant team in the world, while the others are all weak and insignificant. You can score goals like it's nothing to you. If I went there, I could easily score 60 goals, let alone 38!

Icardi was biting his nails, deep in thought, when suddenly he heard the sound of wind.

As soon as he turned his head, he felt a "bang," his vision went black, and his body leaned back, his head slamming heavily against the chair.

Icardi struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily, rubbing his throbbing nose, and said angrily:

"Who was so blind as to kick me in the face with a ball!"

"Mauro, sorry, I accidentally hit you while trying to help you out. I hope I didn't hurt you." Tang Long smiled and raised his hand to him from the sideline.

In the recent defensive play, Tang Long, playing on the left wing, actively retreated and slid in, bringing down Pogba and the ball!

The sliding tackle was incredibly powerful, delivering a force to the ball no less than that of a shot, hitting Icardi squarely in the face.

Caught completely off guard, Icardi was kicked in the head by Tang Long. He was speechless with pain and could only cover his nose with a towel, continuing to sulk.

In the 68th minute, it was Tang Long's time for a solo performance!

This time, Manchester City made four consecutive back-and-forth passes, from left to right, from right to left, then from left to right again, and finally from right to left.

Finally, through Gündoğan's long pass, the ball was transferred to the left side where Tang Long, who was outnumbered, was located.

Exhausted from running back and forth, neither Fellaini nor Pogba had time to provide support for Valencia.

Tang Long dribbled the ball and quickly closed in on him, creating a one-on-one situation.

"Tang Long is approaching Valencia, Valencia are fighting and retreating!"

"We can't retreat any further; we've already entered the restricted area!"

Tang Long cuts inside, passes the ball sideways, and shoots!

"Haha, no shot, it was a fake shot followed by a real dribble!"

"Valencia has been completely wiped out, Tang Long dribbles into the penalty area with his left foot!"

"Shoot!!"

Tang Long unleashes a powerful shot De Gea scores into the near corner!

With this flick and cut, followed by a shot with his left foot, Tang Long only touched the ball three times throughout the entire process;

Although the movements were simple, the transitions were incredibly smooth. The entire routine was fluid and captivating, drawing enthusiastic applause from the fans!

However, just five minutes later, Ibrahimovic responded with a stunning free kick.

The free kick was about 28 meters from the goal.

Ibrahimovic's shot was a straight kick, the ball flying towards the top right corner of the goal without any spin!

At this moment, Bravo's weaknesses of not being tall enough and not having a long enough wingspan were exposed. His fingertips had clearly touched the ball, but he couldn't stop it from breaking free and rushing into the net!

At this moment, whether watching on TV or at the stadium, Manchester City fans must be missing Joe Hart at his peak.

At that time, he would definitely be able to punch the ball steadily.

Subsequently, Guardiola and Pellegrini constantly switched players and adjusted their tactics, attempting to score the final goal and defeat their opponents.

But the score remained tied at 2-2 until the referee blew the final whistle.

According to the rules of the Community Shield, if the score is tied after 90 minutes, there will be no extra time and the match will proceed directly to a penalty shootout!

This is Tang Long's first penalty shootout in his professional career.

He lay on the ground, drinking water while the team doctor Gracie, sat on his lap and massaged his calf muscles to help him relax.

"Gracie, give me a good massage. If I get a cramp while I'm taking a penalty kick, it'll be your fault!" Tang Long teased Gracie on purpose.

Gracie said earnestly, "Don't worry, you won't get a cramp. I've checked your whole body, inside and out, and your muscles don't feel very tight. Go play the penalty kick with confidence, and good luck!"

Then she leaned down, her cherry-like lips close to Tang Long's ear, and whispered:

"Let me tell you a secret: if you want to show off and be a big hero, you must choose to kick the fifth one."